LeafxCrow - What if Leafpool was a warrior?
This is an alternate ending fanfiction by Qibli77. What if Leafpool was a warrior instead of a medicine cat?? Please do not edit spelling, grammar, etc. unless you COMMENT, ASKING FIRST. Thank you! Note: WIP!!!! Prologue= Prologue "Leafpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The tabby apprentice's voice never wavered as she responded, "I do." "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Firestar declared. "From this moment on you will be known as Leafpool. StarClan honors your courage and faith. Turning his head to look down on both of his daughters, he said, "We welcome you both as new warriors of ThunderClan." "Leafpool! Squirrelflight! Leafpool! Squirrelflight!" the Clan cheered. Leafpool stood, slightly embarrassed, beside her sister, who was welcoming the cheers, but not arrogantly. Nothing will ever take me from my Clan, Leafpool decided. I ''will ''be a loyal ThunderClan warrior.|-|Chapters 1-3= Chapter 1 - Leafpool Leafpool slipped silently up the cliff and out of camp, taking care not to let Dustpelt, who was on guard duty, see her. It had been too long to put off telling Crowfeather any longer — every cat would know soon, even if she was silent. Crowfeather was at the usual spot by the stream. "Leafpool!" he whispered when he saw her. "You came!" "Of course," Leafpool meowed. "I have something very important to tell you, but it can't be done tonight. There isn't enough time." "I will always have time for you, Leafpool," Crowfeather breathed. "There literally is not enough time," Leafpool pointed out. "I need you to be sleeping tomorrow night, as deeply as you can." "But tomorrow night's the Gathering!" Crowfeather said. "Well, you'll just have to convince Onestar you can't go," Leafpool meowed decisively. "I will come to you. You don't need to worry about anything else." "I trust you," Crowfeather whispered. "I need to go." There was regret in the tabby's mew as she checked the color of the sky. "It's almost sunrise and I'll surely be expected on the dawn patrol. Did you hide your scent?" "Yes," Crowfeather replied. "As well as I always do." "Thank you," Leafpool said, and as she turned to leave she cast a glance over her shoulder. Crowfeather was still standing there, watching her go. She waved her tail in farewell and disappeared into the undergrowth. ---- The next night, Leafpool told Firestar that she was feeling tired and didn't think she wanted to go to the Gathering. Firestar respected his daughter's wishes and let her stay at camp. After the Gathering patrol left, Leafpool retired to her nest early. Not long after, Squirrelflight entered the warriors' den — she hadn't wanted to go to the moonlight meeting unless her sister had. Oh, please don't try to talk to me, Leafpool thought. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. "Leafpool?" Squirrelflight asked. "Are you awake?" She gave no response. Squirrelflight sighed and curled up in her own nest, beside Leafpool's. "Might as well go to sleep too," she murmured. Leafpool felt guilty for deceiving her sister, but guilt soon turned into tiredness and feigned sleep quickly turned into real sleep. Chapter 2 - Crowfeather "I really don't feel all that well, Onestar," Crowfeather meowed. "Maybe I should stay here." "Nonsense. It'll be one of our first Gatherings at the island. You didn't come to the last one either!" "I'm fine staying here," Crowfeather insisted. Ashfoot, the deputy of WindClan and Crowfeather's mother, purred. "Onestar, you know you can't convince him of anything when he's like this." Crowfeather shot her a mock glare. "Exactly what do you mean by that?" he growled. Onestar sighed. "Fine, Crowfeather, you can stay here." Crowfeather heaved a mental sigh of relief. "Thank you, Onestar," he meowed sincerely. Onestar flicked his tail. "I still can't see why you want to stay..." He turned and headed toward the entrance to camp. "WindClan is departing!" he yowled. Most of the selected warriors bounded out of camp behind him, while a few apprentices and young warriors hurried to catch up. Crowfeather padded to his nest. Finally. I can meet Leafpool. As soon as his head touched the ground, he fell fast asleep. ---- His dreams were filled with weird gray mist and smoke. For a long time Crowfeather's mind felt blank and sleepy, but finally he spotted a tabby pelt amid the clouds and fog. "Leafpool!" he gasped. "Crowfeather," she breathed. "Let's go somewhere else." In one heartbeat, the scene changed to a sunny meadow filled with flowers and prey-scent. Crowfeather longed to hunt, but he knew whatever Leafpool had to say was more important. "I need to tell you something," the ThunderClan warrior meowed. "Actually, I need to tell you a story..." Chapter 3 Once there was a ThunderClan warrior. A she-cat, daughter of the Clan leader. At her warrior ceremony she swore to be always loyal to her Clan, especially her father, her mother, and her sister, all in ThunderClan. And she was. Until she fell in love with a WindClan warrior. The she-cat tried to keep him a secret for as long as possible, but eventually she was discovered meeting with him by the medicine cat of the Clan. The medicine cat tried to stop her from meeting the tom, but she did not. A StarClan medicine cat told the she-cat to follow her heart, and the lovers decided to run away. For a few days they were happy, safe beyond WindClan territory. But when a friendly badger named Midnight came to tell them that their Clans were going to be attacked by badgers, they had to go back and help their Clans— and break their ties forever. The she-cat thought it was all over and would never be a concern again. But then something happened— something that changed everything. The she-cat thought she was getting old, or even eating too much. But that couldn't be, because it was leaf-bare and prey was scarce in ThunderClan already. While preoccupied with this thought, she passed the nursery and saw another queen's newborn kits— and then she realized what was happening. Kits. Kits with a warrior from another Clan. It ''wasn't ''all over after all. So she dreamed and asked questions of StarClan, the Clan that she seemed to have a powerful connection to, even as a warrior. StarClan granted her permission to walk in her beloved's dreams for just one night— one night to explain everything to him. And here she is, telling the tom everything that has happened and everything that will happen, and everything they must do for their kits.|-|Chapters 4-6= Chapter 4 - Leafpool Leafpool finished her story and looked up at Crowfeather. "Now you see," she whispered, "how important it was for me to come here tonight." The dark gray tom nodded slowly. "Yes, I see. But Leafpool, our kits will not lead a fair life as half-Clan cats. We cannot curse them to that life." "Then I will raise them in ThunderClan." Leafpool knew as she was speaking that he would never agree. "I could not bear watching my kits grow up in a different Clan, seeing them teased and ridiculed for having no father. Or having to attack them in battle one day. I can't do it, Leafpool." "Then one of us must switch Clans!" Leafpool didn't know how they could do it. It seemed impossible, to raise kits without giving away their secret. "I think I have a plan." Crowfeather spoke softly, and he was looking past Leafpool, over her shoulder. "I can give it up, my Clan, I think, for you." "For me?" Leafpool's voice came out even quieter than Crowfeather's. "You would sacrifice everything for me?" "I would sacrifice anything for you," Crowfeather whispered. "Even my life." "Your life?" "Even my life." Chapter 5 - Crowfeather Crowfeather's heart was heavy as he padded into one of the few tree-groves on WindClan's territory, searching for fox scent. A patrol had chased it off the territory only a few sunrises before, so it couldn't have gone far. He quickly found the place where the patrol had battled it; there was fox and blood scent covering the trees. Opening his mouth wide to scent the air, he followed the trail. The scent got stronger as he traveled out of Clan territory, and it wasn't long before the smell was so powerful he knew the fox was close by. Quickly, he unsheathed a claw and ripped the delicate skin on one of his pads, ignoring the pain. Knowing the risk he was taking, he pounded loudly through the trees, yowling as loud as he dared without it carrying back to WindClan's territory. The fox emerged from the bushes and charged at Crowfeather. Screeching, he turned tail and used all his speed to race back into Clan territory and into the place the fox had been battled. He made sure that his scent got everywhere as well as the blood still dripping out of his pad. The few times the fox caught up to Crowfeather, he made sure to dodge just enough to let the fox rip out clumps of fur but not actually wound him— he'd done enough damage to himself already. Finally Crowfeather rolled away from the fox, back toward the border, and ran the rest of the way out of the territory. The fox followed him, growling, and Crowfeather placed a few slashes across the fox's nose and ears. It was a young fox, and already tired from him leading it all over the place. It didn't take long for it to admit defeat. Crowfeather found a clump of heather to roll in to disguise his scent. He also washed his pad and snagged a wad of cobwebs from a nearby tree trunk to stop the bleeding— this was a trick he'd learned from Barkface, it was one of a medicine cat's most basic tools. Now he just had to wait. And roll in some more ferns. He did the latter, and then settled down to do the former. Chapter 6 Leafpool Leafpool trudged along the ShadowClan border, absentmindedly marking it as her patrol proceeded away from the lake. Her sister Squirrelflight bounded ahead, chattering away with Brambleclaw, but she couldn't concentrate because of what Crowfeather had told her the night before. Is he really going to give up everything— his family, his friends, his Clan— for me and our kits? She felt sick because of what he was losing. Your leader and your deputy and ''everyone ''is going to think you're dead. Even your own mother. Wait, isn't his mother the deputy? Leafpool shook out her fur. She wasn't supposed to be worrying about WindClan's personal affairs, but here she was, wondering how the leader of the moor-loving Clan across the border would react when one of his warriors "died" from a fox attack. Oh, Crowfeather, are you really doing this? Crowfeather Crowfeather watched, heart dropping deeper and deeper in his stomach, as a hunting patrol consisting of Ashfoot, Tornear, Owlwhisker, and Weaselfur approached the trees where he'd laid the trail. Oh, StarClan, why did it have to be my mother? He could see Ashfoot's light gray pelt charging into the trees after a rabbit. Crowfeather lost sight of both of them when they entered the grove, but he could hear an audible gasp when she discovered the trail and see the rabbit as it escaped the trees. Owlwhisker dashed to cut it off, and succeeded, but Crowfeather only had eyes for the trees. Weaselfur approached the trees and timidly entered. Crowfeather could hear all of their conversation from his hiding spot. "Ashfoot?" His mother was silent. Grief struck Crowfeather's heart and he almost gave himself away, but then he told himself, This is for Leafpool and our kits. I'm doing it for them. "A—Ashfoot?" Weaselfur called. In a strained voice, the deputy of WindClan whispered, "Crowfeather." Weaselfur padded further into the trees and gasped. "Oh—oh. Er— Tornear? Owlwhisker?" "What is it?" Tornear asked, following Weaselfur into the grove. "Oh. Oh, Ashfoot, I'm sorry." Owlwhisker, carrying his rabbit, headed toward the trees. "Did you see what I cau— whoa." Silence from the grove. "He's dead," Ashfoot whispered. "My son is dead, and I wasn't here to help him. He's dead." "You don't know that," Tornear said, but Crowfeather could tell he didn't believe what he was saying. He had seen enough. He snuck backwards out of his hiding spot and turned to leave.|-|Chapters 7-9= Chapter 7 - Leafpool As soon as she was sure Squirrelflight was asleep, Leafpool cautiously rose from her nest and snuck out of camp again. She climbed — rather clumsily, because of her large belly — out the secret entrance to camp and set off to meet Crowfeather. If his plan had gone well, he would be waiting by the border, north of the abandoned Twoleg nest. Leafpool was almost hoping it hadn't, she still couldn't imagine how Crowfeather and his Clan would feel about the results (Having his Clan think he was dead and thinking Crowfeather was dead, respectively). And, of course, what Crowfeather would have to do now that he was, well, presumed dead but very much alive. But her almost-hopes were dashed when she spotted a dark gray pelt lurking by the Twoleg nest. "Crowfeather?" she whispered as she came closer. "Is that you?" "It's me!" Leafpool heard Crowfeather's familiar meow. Leafpool crept over to join him. "Did the plan work?" she asked, knowing the answer. Crowfeather knew that she knew it, too, but he answered anyway. "Yes. All of WindClan thinks I'm dead." Leafpool stroked his side with her tail. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's okay," Crowfeather responded. "It was to be with you. I would do anything to be with you." "But now we have to convince Firestar of two things: that you're not Crowfeather, and that you should be allowed into the Clan. You'll have to stay out here for a while," Leafpool fretted, "long enough for the Clans not to attach the two events and long enough for your appearance and scent to change." "It'll be okay," Crowfeather reassured her. "I can do it. Try not to visit me too often or some cat will catch you, like Cinderpelt did." "I'll be careful," Leafpool promised. She looked up at the sky. "I have to go." "We'll meet here again after the Gathering!" Crowfeather said. "Not right after!" Leafpool purred. "I'll be tired!" "Fine," Crowfeather meowed. He was purring as well. "The night after the Gathering." "Okay," Leafpool agreed. "The night after the Gathering." Chapter 8 - Crowfeather Crowfeather watched Leafpool journey back to her camp. At first she walked slowly, then she sped up, as if she'd realized how important it was to get back in time. As if her Clan was more important than me. Is that right? Should I ''want ''her Clan to be more important? That's the way it's supposed to be, according to the warrior code. But the warrior code doesn't always agree with our hearts. Crowfeather sighed and turned away. He had to find a nest to live in until talk of his "death" had ceased and everyone had forgotten all about him. Leafpool was right — he couldn't risk trying to join ThunderClan too early. It would be too much of a coincidence if Crowfeather disappeared from WindClan right around the time a loner, named Crow or something, popped up in ThunderClan territory, trying to become a warrior in the forest Clan. I can't be called Crow, though — it's too similar to my WindClan name. My WindClan name. It seemed as though he was already considering himself a loner, apart from his Clanmates— former Clanmates— in WindClan territory. Well then, what's my ''loner ''name? He ran through a list of possible names. Midnight? Nope. That's the name of the only badger in the world with connection to StarClan. Can't steal that. Night, Darkness, Blackbird... None of them seemed right. Then he realized— the bird almost identical to the crow in size, color, and nature. The raven. Raven. That's perfect! And so, Crowfeather/Raven trotted off to find a good place to settle down for the night. Chapter 9 - Leafpool Leafpool's heart dropped as she saw that Onestar was the leader standing at the front of the rock. Here it comes. "Cats of all Clans, I have something important to share," Onestar meowed after he had started the Gathering with the customary yowl. "A fox has been chased off our territory, but in the process we lost a warrior — Crowfeather." There was murmuring among the Clans as they remembered him as the WindClan apprentice sent on the journey to find Midnight. A few non-WindClan warriors looked sad, Leafpool noticed; the most depressed looked to be Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, and Leafpool's sister, Squirrelflight, those who had gone on the journey with him. The rest of the Gathering flashed by Leafpool's ears, and she numbly thought of the time she would meet Crowfeather, every half-moon. Is it fair to every cat if I'm the only one who gets to see him, ever again? Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon) Category:Content (Qibli77)